Which to use
“folle” is a noun and “frêle” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,074
- “folle” frequency rank
- #31,505
- “frêle” frequency rank
- 34579
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | folle | frêle |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Filet à larges mailles, tendu lâche. | Qui a peu de solidité, de résistance. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set folle and frêle apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: folle is \fɔl\ while frêle is \fʁɛl\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34579, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
folle is recorded at frequency rank #3,074, classified as anoun, pronounced \fɔl\. frêle is at rank #31,505, tagged as anadj, pronounced \fʁɛl\.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 34579, this pair ranks #282,802 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of folle vs frêle
Shared letters: efl. Private to "folle": o. Private to "frêle": rê.
"folle" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "frêle" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- folle ← ffolle · flole · fole · folel · oflle
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "folle" and "frêle" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "folle" or "frêle"?
Remembering folle vs frêle
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “folle”; for an adjective, it's “frêle”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “folle” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable